St. Landry democrat., 1887-12-03

the forms, tore up the paper, put dirt In
the ink, threw the editor out of the win
dow and broke the imposing stone in
two. Some citizens who did not like
this mode of handling private property
held an indignation meeting soon after
During this meeting bitter quarrel as
to whether the Frontier was loyal
or not arose. A fight followed, and
what little furniture there was in the
meeting place was broken over the heads
OF the wranglers. A few days later
some of the citizens who had opposed
the policy of the paper stirred up the
soldiers again. The editor had disap-
| peared when the mob arrived. This time
they completely demolished the presses,
threw the type into the river and burned
the building. A stranger who resem-
bled the editor arrived and was taken
for Mr.. Dummer. Frightened, he fed,
and the soldiers pursued him. They so
terrified him by continued shooting that
he jumped into the river and was
drowned
E. G. K. Garvey issued the first num-
| Der of the Kansas Freeman at Topeka,
July 4, 1865. He had absolutely no Of
flee at first, but published the paper I'M
| der tree in the little settlement which
| to-day is the beautiful capital of Kansas.
In the initial number, the one printed
page of which measured eight by twelve
inches, the editor stated that it was
printed on little hand-press with pint
or so of type, owing to the fact that his
large press and material, ordered from
Kansas City, had not yet put in an appear
ance. Their whereabouts were not dis
covered for several months, and the
second number of the paper was not
published tAl early in the following Oc
tober.
1t turned out that poor but enterpris
ing young Journalist in county further
east had captured the press and material
soon after they left Kansas City, and had
been using them ever since, issuing his
modest sheet regularly from another
mans press All freighting to that region
was then done by wagons, and the team
sters who were transporting the printing
material, having never seen the owner,
readily delivered the entire outfit to the
young man at Eudora who met them,
and stated that he had decided not to re-
main at Topeka but to establish himself
at that place instead In spite of the i'll
gotten material, the little paper the ras-
cal published was neat and neWsy one,
and when its existence ended, owing to
the fact that the owner of the press had
found and carried it away, 1t was consid
erably regretted by its readers.
When the Tribune, now one of the lead
ing papers in the State, was established
at Lawrence, in 1866. by John Speer and
w. W. Ross, it was obliged to pass its
first winter in an unfinished building.
There was no roof on the structure, and
as neither of the editors possessed suffi-
cient money and none of the community
had enough energy to roof it, the office
went without covering till late in the
following spring. The winter was mild
one, and but few editions were delayed to
wait for warm day. But, occasionally,
the two editors had hard time of it.
During one heavy storm the office was
nearly filled with snow and all proceed
ings were stopped for a time. But
Messrs. Speer and Ross dug their office
out and resumed operations with renewed
vigor.
And so, through trials and often
dangers, the pioneer editors of Kansas
fought their way with indomitable en-
ergy, and to-day Kansas and her peer
less advantages are heralded to all the
world by these same pioneers or their
many followers, all happy in prosperity.
Tom P. MORGAN.